The ocean air of Pondicherry is heaven

Monday, January 22, 2007 Pondi with a cherry on top well here we are in a tiny piece of France. An Indian flavored French crepe. We arrived on a bus via Chennai (Madras) which we saw only from the rickshaw window. I think we were a bit big-city-pollution-drained. At least I was, having developed a cough that I'm sure is dirty air related.

Bangalore was a wonderful place to catch up on western culture, remember your love/hate relationship with malls and eat Pizza Hut. But the air is thick with exhaust and burning trash and the smell of different types of excrement and at times I tried not to breath at all. So in contrast, the ocean air of Pondicherry is heaven.

We've found an ashram on the beach that is only $1 a night. The view from the front is jutting rocks and endless ocean. Unfortunately we were placed in a room named "politeness" which has a balcony over a gas station. I think its moniker is meant to prevent you from complaining.. since when I asked the man at the front desk if we could switch rooms he looked at me sternly and said they were all full far in advance. I think this meant I haven't gotten to the right level of purity- since the picture of "the mother" and the other guy that stare at me in bed make me feel slightly guilty for some reason...

Pondicherry is known for its delicious French food and leftover culture that has remained since its colonial days. The children all call to you "Bonjour!" and the gentlemen pass a polite "Bonsoir.." on the tiny streets of the French section which is along the ocean. The colors are french blue and yellow everywhere- including some of the rickshaws and the school uniforms of the children. We are off to Auroville today, a holdover from the 60s ashrams- a giant community of people who believe in world unity founded by an Indian man and a French woman called The Mother. They are both dead, but the community still goes on.. We are going to indulge our hippy-ness today and see what it's all about. There are floaty looking white people swathed in Indian prints all over Pondicherry who seem to have found some sort of inner helium, maybe we will too...Posted by eliza & gregg at 8:50 PM